Ashes To Dust
by CanzetYote
Summary: The Adventures Of Blinky Bill. Nutsy Koala, Marcia Mouse and Shifty Dingo help Slick Possum tackle his inner demons. Contains some Shifty Dingo X Nutsy.
1. Two Tickets To Paradise

_This is a new Adventures Of Blinky Bill fanfic of mine, this time centered around Slick Possum who has grown to tie with Shifty Dingo as my favorite character. Rated M for sexual themes, some gore and strong language. You're probably gonna feel sorry for Slick in it, too. All characters are copyright to Yoram Gross except my OCs the villain Gavin Buildmore, a possum named Stan and young dingo boy named Carter._

It was a warm sunny morning outside and Nutsy was out and running as fast as her legs could carry her. She had two tickets clutched in her paws, tickets for the final showing at the possum cinema before the place was going to be torn down. She had to make a decision which friend she wanted to go with. There was Blinky, Flap, Splodge, Marcia and Shifty and only one of them could go with her.

Running into the lunch area, she saw the 5 sitting at the table and slammed the tickets down, "I...won...the...tickets...from...Slick's...contest..."

"That's great, Nutsy. So, who are you gonna take with you?" Flap asked.

"Just...let...me...catch...my...breath..." Nutsy panted.

"I know who Nutsy will go with. She's gonna be going with me cause I'm her brother." Blinky said.

"Nuh uh. I'm gonna be the lucky one." Splodge replied.

"You're both wrong! Nutsy and I need our girls only time. No boys allowed!" Marcia barked

"I have an idea, how about we put a bunch of cards in a hat and whoever gets the Ace gets to go with Nutsy?" Shifty asked.

"You're probably gonna cheat, you rotten little dingo." Blinky said, pointing at Shifty.

Shifty's ears wilted, "I...I'm not gonna cheat. How dare you think that."

"Once a dingo, always a dingo." Marcia said.

"Yeah." Splodge added, "You never can trust them."

Shifty began to sniffle a little, a warm tear falling from his right eye and sliding down his snout, "Why...why...why do you have to all be so mean to me? I...I...I was only making a suggestion. Y-you still don't trust me after all this time?..."

Flap rolled his eyes at Shifty's tears, "Here come the waterworks."

Nutsy sat down and put her arm around the little dingo. She leaned forward and kissed the warm tear off his face, causing everyone to flinch in disgust.

"Did...did you just...kiss his tears away?" Marcia asked, annoyed.

"That's disgusting!" Flap chimed in.

"Well, I guess that answers our question on who she goes with." Splodge said.

"Yeah, what on Earth does she see in him, anyway?" Marcia grumbled, annoyed.

"I hope you're all happy, making Shifty cry again. I've already made my decision and none of you are going to the cinema, only Shifty and I." Nutsy scolded. Shifty let out a hurt whimper and another tear rolled down his cheek. Nutsy leaned in and pressed her lips against the teardrop and licked it off Shifty's face, savoring its salty taste on her tongue. She then cuddled the dingo even tighter.

"Ewwww! That's just...that's just...so GROSS of you, Nutsy!" Marcia screamed.

"I actually quite like it." Shifty said blushing a little, "That's how us dingoes show affection."

"Nutsy, are you realky a dingo in disguise?" Blinky asked jokingly.

"No, I just think you're all terrible for treating Shifty so badly. Maybe you should step in his shoes for once and see what it feels like to be picked on all the time." Nutsy said harshly, glaring at her friends.

Blinky sighed, "Yeah, I guess you have a point. I'm sorry, Shifty."

"Me too." Splodge added.

"I guess we have been a little harsh on him." Flap said.

Nutsy sighed, "You guys can apologize all you want. Shifty's our friend and friends don't make friends cry no matter what. You're all just a bunch of bullies who don't deserve rewards. Shifty and I are going and that is final. Come, Shifty. Let's get ready at our homes."

Shifty nodded and hugged Nutsy back, "Thanks, Nutsy."

Nutsy scratched the dingo behind his long floppy ears, "You're very welcome, Shifty."

"Hmph. I never knew Nutsy could have such an attitude." Flap grumbled.

"What annoys me more than anything is she's going out with a dingo. Seriously, what's so great about him? He cries all the time and cowers when you say boo and he's not very attractive, either." Marcia said.

"Nutsy made her choice and I think we should all respect that." Blinky said.

Marcia got up from the table, "Well, I'm gonna sabotage their little date. When Shifty's not looking, I'm gonna hide in his backpack and hitch a ride with them. You'll see."

"Why do you want to go to the movie so badly, anyway?" Flap asked Marcia.

Marcia blushed a little, "Well, you see...I...um"

"I know." Blinky said, "It's Slick, isn't it? Every once in a while I saw you making goo-goo eyes at him back when I was kidnapped."

"WHAT? I wasn't staring at Slick, he's an adult you know!" Marcia shouted angrily.

"Ooooh, I think someone has a crush!" Splodge said teasingly.

"Shut your pie-hole Splodge, I DO NOT! But he's much cuter than Shifty Dingo. Nutsy has no taste in men!" Marcia yelled.

"Whatever, Marcia. Go have fun sabotaging the lovebirds date." Blinky chuckled.

Meanwhile, Shifty was talking with his mother, "So is it all right if Nutsy and I go to the movies?"

"You're going to watch a movie with a koala?" Ma dingo asked.

Shifty nodded, "Nutsy and I are gonna go on a little date. I was the friend she picked to watch a movie with after she won tickets at a radio contest. So can I go mom, please?" Shifty began whimpering softly and looked up at his mother with sad puppydog eyes.

Ma Dingo grumbled a bit, "Oh, all right. Stubborn kid, you probably wouldn't take no for an answer."

Shifty Dingo hopped up and down with joy, wagging his big bushy tail when Daisy entered the room, "Daisy! Daisy! Daisy! Guess what?"

"What is it now, Shifty?" Daisy said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, Daisy. I'm so excited! I get to go to the movies with Nutsy right before the theater gets torn down. Isn't that great?" Shifty asked, wagging his tail like crazy.

"Yeah, whatever." Daisy said, getting back to reading her magazine.

Suddenly, Danny walked out of the bedroom and Shifty dashed up to him, "Hey Danny. I'm gonna be seeing a movie with Nutsy. Isn't that great?"

Danny sighed, "Really? Nutsy? I question your taste in women, Shifty. You could do so much better than that."

"You're just jealous I'm going on a date while your sitting in this dump." Shifty said, crossing his arms.

Danny rolled his eyes, "Oh please, I've been out on dates before."

"You're always too busy scheming to think about women." Daisy said, turning a page of her magazine.

"Anyway, I'm gonna pack my bags. You know, in case something happens." Shifty said.

"What a paranoid little kid." Danny said, shaking his head.

And so, Shifty ran into his room and began putting some snacks in his backpack. He didn't have enough money to buy snacks at the theater himself and he was sure Slick didn't mind if he brought his own snacks. Putting some graham crackers in his backpack and a few juiceboxes, Shifty felt the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. The dingo stormed off to the family restroom. Marcia watched the whole thing from his window decided now was the perfect chance to stowaway and climbed into his room, quickly running up to Shifty's backpack and climbing into it. Shifty came back from the bathroom and opened his closet to see what he could wear for the date. His eyes darted over to a sleeveless denim vest and he took it off the hanger and put it on. He admired himself in the mirror a little, blushing. He then flung the backpack over his shoulder, not even noticing Marcia who was safely tucked inside.

Meanwhile, Nutsy was in her room and spraying perfume on herself. She had some gumnuts tucked away in the pocket of her new red dress so she was prepared to buy popcorn. She knew Shifty's family wasn't exactly rich but she was totally cool with paying for the date because of how much she loved Shifty.

Blinky walked into the room and coughed a bit, "Gee, enough perfume there, Nutsy. Are you trying to date Shifty or suffocate him?"

Nutsy glared at Blinky, "In case you don't know, Shifty loves the smell of flowers and want to smell nice for him."

"You really must like Shifty, huh? Never seen a koala and dingo fall in love before." Blinky commented.

"Dingo or not, he's sweet, cute, gentle, funny and he's actually pretty smart when you get to know him well enough." Nutsy explained, "You know, you shouldn't pick on him so much. He's got a good heart, you know."

Blinky sighed, "I suppose you're right. He's a nice guy and all but I think he's kind of weird."

"Weird? How rude! He is a little awkward at times but that's what makes him so cute." Nutsy said.

Suddenly, Shifty rushed into the koala house all excited, "Nutsy! Nutsy! Nutsy! Your father's waiting in the car." the dingo said hopping up and down excitedly.

"Awwww, Shifty. You look so adorable in that denim vest." Nutsy said.

Shifty blushed a bit, "Gee, you really think so? I think that perfume of yours smells quite lovely."

Blinky smiled at the two, "Be sure to say hi to Slick for me, okay?"

"Of course we will." Nutsy said, chuckling.

"You have our word." Shifty agreed.

Meanwhile, Marcia was hiding inside Shifty's backpack. Despite the high level of discomfort, she tried her best not to make any noise to give herself away. She wanted to ruin the dingo and koala's date so badly that they'd both run home in tears. And then, she could have a private talk with Slick Possum all to herself.

Nutsy and Shifty hopped into Nutsy's fathers car, "Have you kids got everything? Tickets? Money for snacks?" Nutsy's father asked.

"I brought some money for popcorn." Nutsy said.

"I brought some emergency snacks." Shifty said, wagging his big bushy tail with a huge smile on his face.

"Awww, you're so silly, Shifty." Nutsy giggled, ruffling the dingo's headfur and scratching his ears. Shifty smiled, his tongue lolling from his mouth.

And so, Shifty and Nutsy sat in the backseat of Nutsy's father's car as the car took off. Nutsy put her arm around the shy little dingo and gazed deep into his soft puppydog eyes. The longer she looked into his eyes, she began to feel her heart melting slowly, "Has anyone told you that you have beautiful eyes, Shifty? They're just so soft and gentle."

Shifty blushed a little, swishing his tail "No, no one's ever told me that before. Your eyes are quite lovely too."

Nutsy blushed, "Why thank you, Shifty. You're such a gentleman. If it wasn't for you, I'd never have found my father."

"Nutsy has a point there, you're a true hero, Shifty." Nutsy's father said.

Shifty blushed even me, "Gee, I'm no hero. I'm just a cowardly little dingo. Why are you always being so nice to me?"

Nutsy kissed Shifty on his nose and he blushed even more, "Don't be so modest, Shifty. I think you're beautiful just the way you are. You don't have to be a perfect superman for me to love you. You're kind, sweet, sensitive, caring. I don't understand why the others treat you so bad. Someday they'll learn to like you, even Marcia."

Meanwhile, Marcia was still in Shifty's backpack listening to their conversation and making mock gagging noises. Apparently, the two of them together was way too sugary for her. She felt like she was gonna spend the afternoon with a couple dewey-eyed, lovey-dovey dummies.

Nutsy's father began flipping through radio stations and a soft rock station started playing the song "You're The Inspiration" by Chicago and Shifty Dingo and Nutsy began singing along in unison:

_You're the meaning in my life  
you're the inspiration.  
You bring feeling to my life  
you're the inspiration.  
Wanna have you near me  
I wanna have you hear me sayin':  
No one needs you more than I need you.  
_  
Marcia was trying to swallow her own vomit. She absolutely hated love songs, especially ones by Chicago. She also despised Shifty's singing voice. To her, it was like nails on a chalkboard. So nasally and raspy sounding. The combination of both made her sick to her stomach and she'd rather have to drink cold medicine than have to listen to Shifty singing sappy love songs. The mouse covered her ears and grumbled softly to herself inside the dingo's backpack. It took everything in her power to not jump out of Shifty's backpack and strangle the life out of the dingo.

There car kept driving and soon dust storms began blowing in. They knew the were about to reach their destination.


	2. Listen To My Story

_Slick Possum arrives in this chapter and hits Shifty and the girls up with a sob story like they've never even heard before._

The car pulled out in front of the theater and Shifty and Nutsy hopped out.

Nutsy's father smiled at them, "Now you two have fun at the theater, okay? I'll pick you up in a few hours."

And with that, Mister Koala drove off. Shifty smiled at Nutsy, "Thanks for choosing me to come, Nutsy."

Nutsy smiled back at him, "You're welcome, Shifty."

The dingo and koala walked up to the booth, "Two tickets, please." Nutsy said.

The booth guy smiled, "You guys are lucky, this place is gonna get torn down tomorrow."

"I know." Shifty sighed, "So how upset is Slick about it?"

"Really bad. The other day I saw him crying. Slick hardly ever cries, well not in front of others anyway." The booth guy said.

Shifty's ears wilted, "Gee, he must be really attached to this place."

"He goes way back to his childhood with this place. Means the world to him. Never seen him so depressed before." The booth guy said.

Shifty sighed and Nutsy patted him on the back, "Come on, Shifty, we'll be late for the movie."

Shifty sighed and smiled, "All right, Nutsy. If you say so."

The dingo and koala entered the movie theater and began walking down the aisle when suddenly, someone shouted from Shifty's backpack, "BOO!"

Marcia popped out of Shifty's backpack and Shifty jumped and glared at her, "Marcia, what are you doing here? There's only two tickets, meant for Nutsy and I. Were you in my backpack the whole time?"

Marcia grinned at Shifty, "Of course I was, dummy! Do you really think I'd sit back and let you two go to the theater without me?"

Shifty smiled slyly at Marcia, "Just so you know, there's probably gonna be a lot of kissing between Nutsy and I so you may wanna grab an extra popcorn bag to throw up in. Isn't that right, Nutsy?"

Nutsy giggled and hugged Shifty, "Shifty does have a point." the koala said, "We do get awfully affectionate."

"So why do you want to go to the movies so badly?" Shifty asked Marcia.

Marcia blushed and looked irritated, "Hmph! Like it's any of your business, Shifty Dingo!"

"Anyway, once the movie is finished, let's go see Slick and talk to him." Nutsy said.

Marcia blushed even more at the mention of Slick's name and the three took their seats and began watching the movie, which turned out to be the Lion King. When the hyena chase scene started up, Shifty began feeling scared and Nutsy put her arm around her dingo boyfriend to comfort him till he stopped shivering. After a while, Mufasa's infamous death scene came on the screen. Nutsy was crying pretty hard and Shifty was whimpering softly with a river of tears streaking down his muzzle. The dingo and koala were crying so hard they didn't even notice Marcia positioning her popcorn bucket under their faces to catch their falling tears in. Apparently, her popcorn wasn't salty enough. Shifty and Nutsy eventually threw their arms around each other, licking the tears from each other faces as they cried to the disgust of Marcia. Slick was watching from the projection booth with tears in his eyes. The scene always did strike an emotional chord with him. A few warm tears trailed down Slick's muzzle and he sniffled, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Then Timon and Pumbaa came on the screen. Everyone enjoyed them, Marcia even blushed a little when Timon came on, as if she had a little crush on him or something. After a while, the movie ended and everyone applauded. Nutsy, Shifty and Marcia made their way out of the theater and into the projector booth.

Slick gasped as he saw them, "Nutsy! Shifty! Marcia! How's it going? By the way, nice vest there, Shifty." The possum ran up to them.

"Thanks, it's denim." Shifty chuckled.

"It's going fine. I'm sorry to hear about the theater" Nutsy said.

Slick's ears wilted a little, "Yeah, this building and I go way back. I'm really gonna miss it when Buildmore destroys it. There's a new theater in town that Buildmore made. They don't use old film reels like in this theater, instead they use laser discs when they show movies. Out with the old, in with the new. I have so many fond memories of this place, parting with it's gonna be awfully hard."

Shifty sniffled a bit, "How did you get started in the theater business, anyway?" the dingo asked.

Slick sighed, "Well, it's a long story. My mother used to work at this theater. She and I would always watch movies together. I was born the runt of my family, so my siblings always picked on me. My mother would always pick me up, dry my tears and cheer me up by going to the theater with me." The possum shook his head and bit back the tears, "But Buildmore, our boss wasn't very nice. He was very controlling. He'd often hurt my mother and he one time threw a film projector at me because my mother let me have free popcorn. Buildmore's a greedy monster, all he ever cares about is money, money, money and shiny, expensive things. I heard he sold his own daughter off into slavery just so he could make a quick buck."

"That's awful!" Nutsy and Shifty gasped in unison.

Marcia growled, "I'd punch Buildmore so hard, he'd be sent flying to the moon!"

"Oh, he's much bigger than you are, Marcia. I wouldn't do that, he's a crocodile." Slick said.

"So what happened, then?" Shifty asked.

"Well..." Slick closed his eyes.

*Flashback*

Buildmore snarled at Slick's mother, "YOU'VE FAILED ME FOR THE LAST TIME, YOU STUPID BITCH!"

A 6 year old Slick watched in horror from a pillar as Buildmore swung a lead pipe at his mother. Again and again the pipe went down, making a sickening crack as it crushed his mother's bones. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks as he watched his mother collapse into a bloody pile and Buildmore leave the scene. When all was clear, Slick ran up to his mother's battered body and held it, "Mama? Are you okay, did he give you an owwie?"

Slick's mother opened her eyes and she weakly reached up and wiped a tear from her son's face, "Slick...I...will...always...love you...you...are...my...son. Please...take...my...jacket."

Slick took his mother's yellow jacket off her body and put it on, whimpering softly as tears streamed freely down his muzzle, "Mama...are you okay?"

Slick's mother smiled at her son, "My...sweet...sweet baby...please...don't...cry...I'll...be...fine...take...over...my...job...at...the...theater...while I'm...away. I...love...you...Slick...with...all...my...heart."

Slick's mother's eyes closed and her heart stopped beating. Slick rushed over to his mother's lifeless body and started dragging it up the steps of the theater with all the strength in his 6 year old body. He carried her to the nearest seat, "Mommy, let's watch a movie together. Just like old times!"

The little possum ran to the projector booth and hopped up onto the stool. Slick put the roll of film on the projector and flipped it on. A movie began playing on the screen and Slick ran up to his mother's dead body and sat on the seat next to her.

"Come on mommy, let's watch." Slick said cheerily as he rested his head on his mother's carcass.

About halfway through the movie a scary part came on, "Mommy...please hold me. This part is scary. Mommy?" Slick looked at his mother with tears in his eyes. He touched his mother and she felt cold, "Mommy, you're so cold. Do you need your jacket, mommy?"

Slick's mother didn't respond, nothing but utter silence, "Mommy? Are you sleepy? Please wake up. Please, mommy?"

Slick hugged his mother and whimpered, "Why aren't you waking up, mommy? Was it the owwie Mister lizard gave you?"

Suddenly, it hit him. His mother was never gonna wake up. Buildmore had murdered her in cold blood. A waterfall of tears began flowing down little Slick's cheeks as he buried his face into his dead mother's bloody chest and cried himself to sleep in her lifeless arms. Mommy was never gonna wake up, not then, not ever.

*End flashback*

Shifty is now sobbing uncontrollably, "Just like in the Lion King!" the dingo bawled, hot tears rolling down his cheeks.

Slick nodded as a single tear dripped down his face, "Yeah, I knew exactly how Simba felt. I cry everytime I watch that scene because I can relate to him."

Nutsy hugged the grieving possum, "I'm sorry about your mother."

"It doesn't end there." Slick sighed, "After becoming an orphan, I dropped out of school and helped around the theater. The other employees helped raise me and provide me with food and shelter. They didn't dare revolt over my mother's death though, they were all too scared of Buildmore. One time one of the employees children went missing and she was later discovered in Buildmore's basement. Her head was missing from her body."

Shifty's eyes widened, "WHAT? Are you serious? Why didn't someone call the cops on Buildmore?"

Slick shook his head, "Buildmore had too much status and power. He owned his own mansion, helicopters, all sorts of fancy, expensive things. He would do some of the most horrific things you can imagine just for money. He even bragged to me that he stole the money from my mother's life insurance account so he could buy a yacht."

Marcia growled, "Oooh, if i ever get my hands on...I don't care how big he is, he needs to be taught a lesson, that overgrown handbag!"

Nutsy could feel tears running down her cheeks, "I...I thought there was good in everyone. But now...Buildmore. That's terrible. I...wow..."

Slick wiped a few tears from his eyes and sighed, "Pretty soon this theater will be reduced to rubble. My little brother Stan will help lead the demolition protest. I wouldn't be surprised if Buildmore would run over innocent people just to get rid of this building."

Shifty snarled a bit in disgust at the thought of Buildmore, "What else has Buildmore done?"

"Well, this one time..." Slick sighed.

*Flashback*

Buildmore grabbed Slick by his throat and slammed him against the wall with one hand, in his other hand he held a little baby duckling.

"Mommy! Mommy! Where's my mommy!" the duckling screamed.

Buildmore sneered at the terrified possum, "You know the rules, Slick? No children allowed in R rated movies."

"She...she wandered in all by herself. She didn't know..." Slick started, tears running down his face.

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" Buildmore shouted, "You know what happens when children go to R rated movies? They cry and when they cry, people leave and when people leave, WE LOSE MONEY! DO YOU GOT IT YOU STUPID SON OF A BITCH? Without money, I CAN'T GO ON VACATION!"

And so, Buildmore squeezed the little duckling so hard that a sickening crunch was heard. He dropped the duckling's lifeless body to the floor and Slick was sobbing by now. Buildmore kept stomping on the duckling's body until is was completely flat and lying in a pool of its own blood.

Slick whimpered softly, salty tears falling from his face, "You killed her...why?"

"To see your pathetic crying face and to teach you a lesson. Next time I see a youngster in an R rated theater, I will dismember the kid and force you to eat it, got it?" Buildmore growled.

Slick nodded, crying uncontrollably and Buildmore dropped the possum to the ground. Slick looked over to the dead body of the little bird and began to vomit.

*Flashback ends*

Shifty's ears wilted, "I think I'm gonna be sick. How could someone be so evil?"

Slick sighed, "I had to fight to survive at times. Buildmore even robbed me of my money and beat me with chains. The only reason I lived with the abuse was cause I just couldn't abandon the theater. There were so many memories attached to it. My mother having me watch movies with her up until the day she died."

Nutsy sighed, "That's really sad, I don't know what to say, Slick. I'm...sorry."

Slick blinked back the stinging tears at the thought of the theater being demolished, "Well, I guess it's time for you kids to go. Your parents are probably waiting for you."

Nutsy glared at Slick, "Us? Go? You have to be kidding! After everything you told us, we're gonna help you out!"

"You can count me in too!" Marcia said.

"Me three." Shifty Dingo added, "This Buildmore guy needs to be taught a lesson!"

Slick's ears wilted, "But you guys are just kids. If you get involved..."

"So?" Nutsy interrupted, "We won't sit back and watch your most beloved things get torn apart from you. Slick, you're our friend and what matters is us helping you out. We'll join the protest if we have to. We can even have the Australian FBI backing us up so Buildmore doesn't mow the people down."

Slick smiled, "Thanks, you guys. I don't know what to say."

Shifty smiled, "So, do we have a deal?"

Slick grinned, "Okay, we've got a deal!". The possum shook the hands of the koala, dingo and mouse in agreement and the four of them walked out of the theater and saw Nutsy's father waiting for her.

"I'll handle this." Slick said, walking over to the car and he began chatting with Nutsy's father.

Nutsy, Shifty and Marcia all sat on the theater steps and began talking.

"So do you think our parents will let us stay the night with Slick?" Marcia asked.

"I hope so." Nutsy replied.

"Everything that Slick went through, I'm rather disgusted he had to put up with Buildmore for so many years." Shifty said.

"That Buildmore sounds like a big fat dummy to me!" Marcia replied

"But Slick said that Buildmore has a lot of power. But if we expose him for the monster he is to the FBI..." Shifty began.

"...Then we can wipe him off the map completely" Nutsy said, finishing Shifty's sentence.

Shifty and Nutsy high-fived each other, Nutsy's father's car left and Slick walked over to them, "Your father says it's all right if we can have a sleepover."

"Wow. How did you convince him?" Shifty asked.

"I just told him I'm a kid, I'm certainly small enough to pass for one." Slick chuckled, "I'm also a pretty good liar when I need to be."

"Oh." Shifty said, "But isn't lying bad?"

Slick sighed and his ears wilted, "Sometimes, you have no other choice. I had to learn to be a good liar to survive. If I didn't tell Buildmore what he wanted to hear, he would've cut my throat."

And so, the koala, dingo, possum and mouse headed off for Slick's apartment in the city. They all boarded the car and drove off.


	3. The Darkest Night

_Yes, things get even darker for Slick. _

The car pulled up in the driveway of the apartment complex and Slick, Nutsy, Shifty and Marcia got out. They began walking up the steps toward Stan's apartment and he unlocked the door, "My little brother Stan owns this place. I live with him as a roommate. Rent's not much, he pays most of it considering Buildmore robs me most of the time. I sometimes have to sneak money from the theater when no one's looking. I feel terrible about it but it's the only way to survive. If Buildmore found out, he'd have my head for sure. You guys can sleep in the bedroom, I'll take the couch."

Suddenly, an albino possum with snow white fur, red eyes, a bright red hawaiian shirt and a rainbow earring walked in the house, "Hey, sweetie. How's it going? What's with the kids?" the albino possum asked in a rather gay lisp.

"Oh, hey Stan. I'm just babysitting them for the theater workers." Slick chuckled.

"Ooooh, well isn't that fabulous! I brought home some chinese food: noodles, wantons and my fave: fortune cookies!" Stan said in a rather giddy manner, hopping up and down clapping his paws, "So are the kids eating with us?"

"Sure, why not?" Slick smiled. And so, the 5 of them all sat down at the kitchen table to eat.

"Wow, these wantons are really good. I almost never eat Chinese food." Shifty said.

"You should try it more often, it's fabulous!" Stan exclaimed.

"My mom cooks for me usually so we don't normally have Chinese." Shifty said.

"Oh, maybe you should ask your mom sometime." Stan replied.

Shifty chuckled a bit, "Nah, she says Chinese food gives her heartburn."

Nutsy took a bite of her noodles using chopsticks and smiled, "So, have you ever seen Buildmore hurt Slick before, Stan?"

Stan looked annoyed, "Of course I have, sweetie. One time Slick was sitting outside of the theater crying and I asked him what was wrong, when he took his jacket off he was shaved and had dry ice burns all over his body. He told me Buildmore did it to him after he caught him helping himself to free snacks."

Marcia growled, "The more I hear about this Buildmore guy, the more I wanna punch his lights out!"

Slick frowned, "I remember the dry ice incident. Had to go to the hospital for it."

Shifty flinched a little, "Dry ice? That sounds painful."

"Oh believe me, Shifty. It hurt pretty bad." Slick said, taking a bite of a wanton.

By the time they were finished eating, Stan pulled 5 fortune cookies out of the bag, "Oooh, here comes my favorite part!"

Nutsy cracked open her fortune cookie and read it, "You have a talent in listening to others."

Shifty read his, "Your imagination knows no bounds."

Marcia read hers out loud, "You will be very successful in business."

Stan cracked open his, "Your smile can change a person."

Slick opened his and a look of horror washed on his face and he whimpered softly. "What's it say?" Stan asked.

"Darkness will poison your life." Slick whimpered. Stan looked over at the message, "Well, what do you know? It really says that."

"Maybe the fortune cookie writer was having a bad day when he made that one." Shifty chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Slick looked very depressed, "I think I'm gonna be sick. You kids stay here, Stan and I are gonna have some grownup talk in the bedroom, okay?"

Nutsy smiled, "Oh, okay. I'd like to talk a little with Shifty and Marcia about this whole thing myself."

Slick smiled at Nutsy and Slick and Stan walked to the bedroom and closed the door behind them.

Shifty Dingo sighed and his ears wilted a bit, "Poor Slick, he's been through so much."

"Even I wouldn't wish all that on my worst enemy." Marcia said.

"Ever since he told us his story, I feel the need to help him out. Did you see the tear he shed when he was talking to us? He must be hurt really bad inside to be crying like that." Nutsy said.

Shifty smiled, "Whatever the case, we'll be there for him. His theater is one of the only things he's got left. I don't want to watch him lose it."

"I don't want to either. Someone that handsome shouldn't have to go through that." Marcia said.

Shifty gasped, "You have a crush on Slick, don't you?"

Marcia glared at Shifty and blushed, "NO, I DO NOT have a crush on him, I just think he's cute."

"You do realize he's an adult, Marcia. He's way out of your league." Shifty explained.

"Shut up!" Marcia snapped at the dingo, "I DON'T have a crush on him."

"Shifty's got a point, Marcia. You are a bit young for Slick." Nutsy chuckled.

Marcia grumbled a bit and Shifty and Nutsy smiled teasingly at her.

Meanwhile, Slick and Stan just finished having sex in the bedroom. As it turned out, Slick lied to the children, Stan was really his boyfriend and they were a gay couple. Even after the sex, Slick still felt miserable having to constantly blink the tears from his eyes.

Slick put his jacket back on and looked at the bed which was covered in possum semen, "Children are gonna be sleeping there, you know."

"Really? Well, in that case I'll change the sheets." Stan replied.

Slick just looked at Stan with big, sad, tear-filled eyes and Stan looked back, "You're still worried about the theater, huh?"

Slick nodded, a tear rolling down his muzzle. Stan leaned in and licked the tear away, "Aww, don't cry, sweetie. You know I've got your back."

Slick began to cry and Stan pulled him into a warm embrace, gently massaging his back and licking Slick's tears from the his cheeks and snout as Slick cried. Meanwhile, Shifty got up from the table and walked around, searching for the bathroom. He got to the bedroom door and opened it to see Slick and Stan cuddling and kissing passionately. The dingo's jaw dropped and his eyes went wide, "Uh...hi guys."

Slick and Stan stopped kissing and Stan opened his mouth but Slick shut him up.

"Oh hey, Shifty. How's it going?" Slick asked.

Shifty looked confused, "Were you two kissing?"

Slick smiled at the dingo, "You see, possum families are very affectionate with each other. It's part of our culture."

"Oh" Shifty blinked, "My family thinks its sloppy when I act like that around them. Then again, my family is kind of distant. So, where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall and to the left." Slick replied. Shifty smiled at the possum, "Thanks".

Shifty left and Stan glared at Slick. The next thing Slick knew, Stan slapped him across the face. Slick rubbed his face a bit.

"Why do you always have to be so insecure about your sexuality and lie about things?" Stan asked Slick, rather annoyed.

Slick bit his lip and fought back a new wave of tears, "I'm so sorry, Stan. It's just that he's only a kid and I don't want to confuse him."

Stan sighed at looked into Slick's tearful puppydog eyes, "Aww, don't cry sweetie, you know I can't stay mad at you, Slick-honey." Stan leaned in and kissed Slick and the nose and gently ran his fingers through Slick's silky-soft hair.

Slick frowned a bit and rubbed his cheek from the sting of Stan's slap, "Well, I'll see you tomorrow at the protest. Let's hope all goes well."

Stan smiled at Slick, "I'm sure it will. I'll go change the sheets and put them in the wash, you get some clean sheets for the kids your babysitting."

And so, Stan ripped the sheets off the bed and walked over to the washing machine and put them in.

Meanwhile, Slick was busy putting clean sheets on the bed when Stan walked in.

Stan just smiled at Slick and grabbed his purse, "No matter what happens, I want you to know that I'll always love you."

Slick smiled at Stan and blushed, "So will I, Stan. So will I."

And so, the flamboyant albino possum left the apartment and closed the door behind him. Stan felt a tear of sympathy run down his muzzle as he thought about what Slick went through. Wiping his eyes, Stan walked to his car, got in and drove off.

Later that night, Shifty and Nutsy lay in bed together sleeping soundly cuddled up and Marcia had a hard time falling asleep. Slick was wide awake all night watching the news on television for updates of the demolishion.

Suddenly, a news flash appeared on the TV the movie theater had just been imploded and was reduced to rubble.

Slick watched in absolute shock and horror as the medics arrived on the scene and pronounced Stan dead. Then it hit him, Stan was inside the building when it imploded. It got even worse, women and children were also being pulled from the wreckage of the theater. Some were even dead. Slick pressed the mute button on the TV remote and began to cry, his small possum frame shaking with sobs. The only thing breaking the dead silence was the sound of Slick's soft whimpers and his tears hitting the surface of his jacket as they fell off his nose.

Marcia, feeling hungry stepped out into the living room and noticed the possum slumped on the couch. Slick was crying and the light of the TV illuminated the thin lines of salty tears running down his muzzle. The little mouse walked up to the couch and climbed up on it, "Slick? You're...crying. Did...something happen?"

"Gone...it's all gone...the theater, Stan...it's all gone...So many innocent people...men...women...even children were in there." Slick sobbed.

Marcia was furious, "That Buildmore. If I ever get my hands on him!"

"Let it go, Marcia. Buildmore's got too much power." Slick sighed.

"Oh, Slick. I wish there was something I could do." Marcia sighed as she leaned against the possum and rubbed her face into his soft black fur.

"Let's go to the site later this morning. I'm feeling exhausted. It's 2 in the morning already, you should be asleep by now." Slick yawned and curled up on the couch, tears drying on his face. Marcia crawled up next to the possum and lay beside him, "Good night, Slick."

Slick sniffled a bit, "Good night, Marcia."

_You breathe the name of your saviour in your hour of need,  
And taste the blame if the flavor should remind you of greed?  
Of implication, insinuation and ill will, 'til you cannot lie still,  
In all this turmoil, before red cape and foil come closing in for a kill_

Come feed the rain  
Cause I'm thirsty for your love, dancing underneath the skies of lust  
Yeah, feed the rain  
Cause without your love, my life ain't nothing but this carnival of rust  
-Poets Of The Fall, Carnival Of Rust


	4. Pain

_Slick drops a few bombshells. You'll be surprised to hear the truth behind the dust storms and the townspeople hiding in their homes._

Marcia awoke with a yawn and walked over to the kitchen. It was 7:15 in the morning and Slick was up and cooking pancakes but he was still emotionally and physically drained from last night.

"Oh hey, Marcia. Looks like you're awake." Slick said in a rather tired manner.

Marcia looked at him and smiled, "Good morning, Slick. What's for breakfast?"

"Pancakes." Slick replied sadly, ears wilted a little. A tear escaped his eye, ran down his face and dripped off his whisker and into the pancake batter as he sighed.

Shifty yawned and stretched as he walked out from the hallway, "Good morning, everyone. I tried waking Nutsy up and she just wouldn't budge." the dingo chuckled.

"Slick's in a really bad mood, you big dummy! Do you really have to wake up laughing like that?" Marcia asked Shifty angrily.

"Why is Slick upset?" Shifty asked.

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, Shifty Dingo. The theater just got demolished with Stan inside!" Marcia snapped.

Shifty did a double take, "WHAT? Are you SERIOUS?"

Slick sighed, "Oh, she's serious all right. There's gonna be a memorial right before noon. I'm gonna go to it. It's not just Stan who died. Men, women and children were in there too."

Shifty looked sickened, "Awww gee, Slick. I'm so sorry".

Slick frowned, "Don't apologize, Shifty. It's not your fault. If anything, Buildmore's the one to blame."

And so the 3 of them sat down and ate pancakes. Slowly and sadly, they bit into the pancakes and there was utter silence at the table. That was until Nutsy came down the hall yawning and broke it, "Good morning, everyone. Why the long faces?"

Shifty frowned, "Stan's dead and the theater was destroyed." the dingo explained, a tear in his eye.

Nutsy gasped and looked over to Slick who had tears in his eyes, "Slick, is that true?"

Slick nodded slowly, a tear rolling down his face, "Yes, Nutsy. It's gone. Everything I worked so hard for, up in smoke."

"There were even CHILDREN in the building when he blew it up, can you believe that scumbag?" Marcia growled.

"No. I honestly can't" Nutsy sighed.

And so, the four of them sat at the table and ate their pancakes in silence.

Shifty looked around the table and tried to smile, "Hey, did you guys hear about the ice cream man who made his ice cream with superglue? It was so good, it made everyone speechless!"

Marcia glared at Shifty, "Now isn't the time for jokes, dummy!"

Slick couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Hey, that was a good one, Shifty."

"You see, Marcia? Laughter really is the best medicine!" Shifty grinned.

Nutsy giggled a bit, "I think you've been around Flap too much, Shifty."

Shifty shrugged, "Someone's gotta be the funny guy when he's not around."

And so, the 4 of them left the apartment after breakfast, heading off to the site of the memorial. When they arrived, they all sat down and listened to the choir sing. Candles were lit and tears were shed for the animals who died in the demolishon.

Suddenly, a little dingo boy with red fur walked up to the podium, "Hi, my name is Carter and I'd like to tell you about my mommy. My mommy meant an awful lot to me, she'd always read me bedtime stories. Whenever I got a scape on my leg, my mommy would kiss it and make it all better. But now my mommy isn't with me anymore. She's in a better place called heaven. She's always been there for me and now she's watching over me." Carter lowered his head, a warm salty tear running down his muzzle, "So even though she's not with me, she'll always be alive in my heart. I just want to say I love her and thank her for bringing me into this world. Thank you."

Shifty felt silent tears roll down his muzzle and drip upon his denim vest at Carter's speech, Nutsy was sobbing openly, Slick was wiping tears from his eyes and Marcia just looked depressed.

It was now Slick's turn to walk up to the podium and the possum slowly walked down the aisle and stood up to the microphone, "Hi, my name's Slick and I just wanted to say this theater meant a lot to me. My mother and I would come here until I was 6 years old. When I was 6, she was beaten to death on the theater steps and I saw the whole thing go down." Slick choked up a little and tears began to roll down his face, "From that day on I...I worked at the theater even though I was only a kid. I've had a lot of hard times there but I always managed to pull through. Now that's it's gone, I feel a piece of me is gone. A dear friend of mine died in there, his name was Stan. I remember how Stan gave me a permanent place to stay and we became really close with each other. The two of us became best friends, even. Still, it wasn't enough to fill the void of my lost mother but it was a small ray of hope. Now my ray of hope is gone. It is dead. Thank you for your time." The possum got up and walked away from the podium.

Nutsy gasped at Slick, "But I thought Stan was your little brother!"

Shifty looked annoyed, "You lied to us?"

Slick hung his head, "He's just...a really close friend of mine."

"Why would you lie about something like that?" Shifty asked, rather suspicious of the possum.

Slick bit his lip, "Because...I'm gay."

Marcia looked confused, "Gay? You're gay? What's gay mean?"

"It's when a boy likes another boy." Nutsy explained.

"Oh" Shifty said, "I have friends that are boys that I like so I must be gay too."

Nutsy chuckled a bit, "No, by likes boys I mean, he has a crush on a boy instead of a girl. You see, he was in love with Stan."

Shifty looked rather confused, "Wow. Is that true?"

Slick sighed, "It's really none of your business, but yeah, it's true."

"Oh, well in that case I'm not gay since I love Nutsy and all. I'm okay with you being gay, Slick. It's Marcia I'm worried about." Shifty replied.

"Why would you be worried about Marcia?" Slick asked, confused.

"Well..." Shifty sighed, trying to find the words, "You see, it's complicated. She really...I mean...well...uh...Nutsy can you help me out here? I'm no good at this..."

Nutsy smiled at Shifty, "What Shifty Dingo's trying to say is...Marcia has a little crush on you."

Marcia glared at Shifty, "I hate your rotten guts, Shifty Dingo." Shifty's floppy ears drooped a little.

Slick looked over to Marcia who was blushing and biting her lip with tears in her eyes, "Marcia, I'm sorry but...you're too young for me. And...you're a girl. There's many women who admire me but they just don't interest me. I've always...loved men more. I hope you can understand."

Marcia sat absolutely still, a heartbroken expression on her face and tears rolling down her cheeks.

Slick sighed, "Maybe we should leave Marcia alone for a while."

And so, the four of them walked out of the memorial site. Nutsy had her arm around a heartbroken Marcia the whole time. They all got in Slick's car and drove off to a diner.

They all got out of the car and Slick tried his best to smile, "I'll pay for lunch. You guys have a seat." The possum, koala, dingo and mouse entered what appeared to be a 50s' style diner.

Shifty walked over to a jukebox and examined it, "Wow, I've never seen something like this before. What's it do?"

Slick walked up to Shifty and smiled, "That's a jukebox, you put a quarter in it and it plays music. Humans don't use this diner anymore, long since abandoned."

"Oooh, that sounds neat! Can I give it a try?" Shifty asked, hopping up and down while clapping his paws.

"Sure" Slick said, putting a quarter in the machine and pressing a button. The song "Somebody To Love" by Jefferson Airplane began playing and Nutsy walked over to Shifty.

"May I have this dance, Nutsy?" Shifty asked.

Nutsy smiled at him, "Of course you may." And so, the dingo and koala started to dance. Slick sat down at a nearby table and Marcia walked dejectedly into the ladies' room.

Marcia sat down on the toilet lid and whimpered. A tear slid down her muzzle, then another and another. The hotblooded mouse girl found herself crying. She knew Slick wasn't interested in her and it just broke her to pieces. She then thought about what Shifty and Nutsy said about Slick being too old for her. Maybe they were right, that combined with the fact Slick came out of the closet and said he was gay made her sick. Ever since she and Blinky were kidnapped, she secretly admired Slick for his good looks and sharp wit but now she knew it was all a fantasy.

Meanwhile, the song ended and Shifty and Nutsy joined Slick at the table. A platypus waitress came over to the table and smiled at them, "And what would you guys like to order?"

"What would you guys like? It's all on me." Slick said.

"Just some fries, a burger and a chocolate milkshake." Shifty said, his stomach growling. The little dingo blushed, "I do feel pretty hungry."

Nutsy smiled, "Just a strawberry milkshake and some fries. I'm only a little hungry."

Slick sighed, "I'll just have a vanilla milkshake and nothing else. I'm not very hungry."

The waitress left the table and Shifty got out of his seat and ran up to her, "Wait! Wait! Wait!"

The waitress turned around, "What is it?"

"We have someone else with us, but she's in the bathroom. Could you just get her some cheese when she comes out?" Shifty asked.

"Oh" the waitress answered, "I can ask the workers if they could give her a slice of cheese from a burger."

Shifty smiled, "Fair enough, I'm sure she'll love it. She's a mouse, you know."

And so, Shifty ran back to the table but tripped and fell flat on his face. Nutsy helped him up and dusted him off, "Are you all right, Shifty?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped a little." Shifty replied.

Suddenly, a waiter walked by and placed a rose on the table and Slick's eyes widened in shock and horror. He suddenly remembered back when he was 5 years old. His mother was caught sneaking him free snacks at the theater and Buildmore was furious at him. Slick could remember Buildmore hoisting him up by the scruff off his neck and torturing him by sticking a rose in his mouth and yanking it out, the thorns cutting his tongue as he screamed and cried while blood dripped from his mouth. The possum went catatonic at the sight of the rose in the glass of water.

Shifty blinked, "Slick? Are you all right?"

Slick turned to Nutsy with a horrified look on his face, "The...the rose..."

"What?" Nutsy asked. Trembling, Slick pointed to the flower in the glass of water and began stutterering, "P-p-p-p-p-please, t-t-take it a-a-a-way..."

Nutsy took the rose and walked down a few tables and put it on another table then walked back.

"Why are you so terrified of roses? Did...did Buildmore hurt you with one?" Shifty asked, rather concerned.

Slick sighed, "It hurts so bad, I'd rather not talk about it. I know I never told you this before but you know the dust storms in this town?" Shifty and Nutsy nodded. "Well, they were made by scientists and machinery that Buildmore hired. He wanted to use the dust storms to scare off the police from entering our town so he could cover up his crimes. People stayed inside because they feared him, even when he was on vacation. When you guys came to the town, he was on vacation so you all got off lucky. Even if the police did catch him, his family is rich enough to post bail several times and even without bail, he was clever enough to escape prison and get back to work."

The waitress came back and placed the food on the table, "Here you go."

Shifty took a bite of his burger and sipped his chocolate milkshake, "So why didn't you tell us any of this stuff earlier the first time we saw each other at this town?"

"Didn't want you to worry about me too much, you've got your own lives to live." Slick sighed, his ears wilting.

"You guys, Marcia hasn't come out yet and I'm starting to worry. I'll go in the ladies' room. I'll be right back." Nutsy said as she left the table.

"You know, Slick. Blinky would tell you that you shouldn't let Buildmore step all over you like that. I've been bullied all my life so I know your pain, Slick." Shifty said.

Slick shook his head, "No, you don't understand Shifty. Buildmore is far worse than any human I've met. He's a cold blooded monster who shows no mercy. For years, I had to live in fear of him. I remember being backed into a corner, begging for mercy and I all got was beating after beating after beating with steel chains. Sometimes he's cut me up with roses he clipped from his garden and he choked me several times." Slick closed his eyes as tears began to roll slowly down his cheeks, "You don't understand, Shifty. You just don't understand. I only act cool to mask my pain so people don't worry about me. Deep down, I'm drowning in my tears."

"Gee, Slick. I'm so sorry, I..." Shifty's eyes filled up with tears and he began to sniffle softly, "I wish I could do something." The dingo got out of his seat and pulled the crying possum into a hug.

Slick sighed, "There's nothing you can do, Shifty. My soul is dead. Remember the time I was talking about sitting alone in a theater hearing the sound of your own laughter? That was me, all alone and wishing for my mother to sit by my side and watch with me. I'm just a poor fool, it was all just a stupid fantasy. I'm gonna call your parents now. You need to go home to your mothers and fathers, I'm sure they miss you a lot. You don't have to waste your time on someone like me. I just lost everything and there's no use getting it back." Slick sniffled.

Suddenly, Nutsy dashed out of the bathroom with a note in her hand, "Marcia's been kidnapped by Buildmore!"

"WHAT?" Shifty gasped. The dingo's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Oh, this is bad. This is really bad. We gotta help her." Slick replied frantically.

Meanwhile, Marcia was being held captive in a dark room in a basement, "Let me go at once, you big dummy!" the mouse screamed.

A crocodile grinned at her evilly, he was wearing a white suit with a red tie and a black bowler hat. He also had a cigar sticking out of his mouth. Wearing a leather glove and holding a block of dry ice, he grinned, "It's a shame you're too small to rape. You mice are such a killjoy. But since you're associated with Slick, I'm more than willing to serve you up a special helping of cold blooded torture."

Marcia screamed and spit on him, "Who do you think you are, you overgrown handbag!"

"You might know me as Gavin Buildmore." the crocodile grinned, ramming the dry ice onto the little mouse.


	5. Infiltration

_Typical Marcia. Going out in a fight._

Buildmore grinned at Marcia as he paced back and forth, still holding dry ice. She was tied up to a stretcher by her wrists and ankles.

"I dare you to do that again to me, you big dummy!" Marcia screamed.

"I like you, kid. You're got spunk, all the more reason to slowly break you." Buildmore chuckled, ramming the dry ice onto the mouse.

Marcia let out a scream and glared at him, "You...you think you can kill me with a block of ice? Give me a break, I eat blocks of ice for breakfast!"

"Hmph. You're a pretty stubborn one, too." Buildmore said, grabbing Marcia and squeezing her. The crocodile took the mouse off the stretcher and she tried biting him but his scaly skin was too hard and she yelped. Buildmore then began dunking Marcia in a tank of water. The mouse spit out the water and glared at the crocodile, "Trying to drown me are ya, well if I were your size, I'd knock your block off!"

"You sure have a big mouth for such a little runt." Buildmore grinned evilly.

"Little runt? LITTLE RUNT? THAT DOES IT! MY NAME IS MARCIA MARSUPIAL MOUSE AND YOU ARE A STUPID LITTLE LIZARD!" Marcia screamed at Buildmore.

"I'll break you to the point where even your own mother won't recognize you." Buildmore threatened.

"Well, in that case, HIT ME WITH YOUR BEST SHOT!" Marcia screamed and Buildmore stabbed Marcia again with a sharpened block of dry ice.

Meanwhile, Nutsy, Shifty and Slick stood outside the gates of Buildmore's mansion. Shifty sniffed the air a little, "Smells like a mouse. The scent must be fresh, it's coming from the cellar."

Slick began climbing the fence and Nutsy watched, "Be careful Slick, please don't fall."

Slick looked down at her, "I'll be fine but from here on out, we'll have to stay on our toes, you dig?"

Nutsy looked at Shifty, "You got any ideas?"

Shifty looked at the lock throughtfully and something clicked in the dingoes brain. He stuck his clawnail in the keyhole and began fiddling with it, "Danny taught me a few lockpicking techniques that should come in handy. Just a turn of a claw like so and..." The lock fell off the gate and the doors opened, "See, Nutsy? Piece of cake."

Nutsy blinked, rather confused, "Why didn't you do that when you were locked in that barn that one time?"

"I was having an emotional breakdown so I wasn't able to think straight." Shifty replied.

Slick smiled at them, "You're a pretty clever kid, Shifty. If I ever get locked in a cage, you'll sure come in handy."

"Thanks. I guess Marcia must be having the time of her life in there." Shifty joked sarcastically.

"Shifty!" Nutsy scolded the dingo.

"I was only joking, Nutsy." Shifty said, ears drooping a bit.

Meanwhile, Marcia was floating in mid air and soon looked down to see her body and Buildmore standing over it. She began floating around a bit when it dawned on her: she just died and became a ghost.

Marcia's ghost growled, "That big scaly dummy. I'll teach him to make a ghost of me, I'll turn him into boots if I have to!"

Suddenly, a light shone from the ceiling of the basement and Marcia's ghost swam towards the light.

Opening her eyes, Marcia found herself sitting in a movie theater watching a movie. On the screen, there was a mouse biting into the tail of a dingo and the dingo was crying. The mouse looked a lot like her and the dingo looked a lot like Shifty. Then it dawned on her, she was watching scenes from her past.

Suddenly, a figure walked down the cinema aisle and she turned her head, "Slick?"

"No, kiddo." A female voice rang out. The figure came out of the darkness was revealed to be an adult female koala in a blue dress, "It's me, Nutsy's birth mother."

Marcia's eyes widened, "Nutsy's mom? What are you doing here?"

"Welcome to spirit cinema, Marcia Marsupial Mouse. I run the show here. Think of me like Santa Claus, I determine whether you are naughty or nice. I've been watching you, Marcia. The things you do to that poor little Shifty Dingo, you really should be ashamed of yourself, kiddo."

"What are ypu talking about? He's just a big dummy!" Marcia snapped.

Nutsy's mom rolled her eyes and an image came on the screen. Marcia was yelling at Shifty and calling him all sorts of horrible names. She then told Shifty that his family didn't love him and that he was a useless piece of trash. The dingo was then shown running off crying, curling up in his room in a fetal position with a streams of tears running down his face. Marcia sighed, "I remember doing that. I...I didn't know he took it so hard. Wow, I...actually feel...pretty bad."

"23 times." Nutsy's mom said.

"What?" Marcia asked.

"23 times. The number of times you made that poor dingo cry on purpose. I'm surprised he's still your friend after the way you treat him. Shifty has a good heart and for the record, he's no dummy. In fact, he's pretty smart for his age. I've been watching over Miss Magpie's class and Shifty's got some of the highest math scores in class. Your papers are full of D's and F's on the other hand."

Marcia sunk back in her seat. She hated to admit it but as awkward as Shifty was, he actually was smarter than her, "I...well..."

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Nutsy's mom asked Marcia mockingly, a smug smile on her face.

"Shut up! Just shut up, you big dummy!" Marcia blurted out, "And wipe that big dumb smirk off your face!"

"I wouldn't tell me to shut up, after all I'm the one in charge of your fate, Marcia." Nutsy's mother said.

"I...I...I'm sorry for all those mean things I did to Shifty. Now can I go?" Marcia asked.

"Not yet" Nutsy's mom said, "You also made Flap cry 5 times and Nutsy cry twice. On purpose."

Marcia shook her head, "Since when have I made Nutsy cry on purpose?"

Marcia looked over to the theater screen and another clip started playing.

"You're nothing but a big dummy, Nutsy! Do you really think I wanted flowers for my birthday? You know I have pollen allergies!" Marcia barked at Nutsy.

Tears began to fill Nutsy's eyes, "Oh Marcia, I'm so sorry. I didn't me..."

"Too late!" Marcia cut her off, "You're nothing but a gumleaf-munching dummy who can't do anything right. I wanted a pink army tank, not a stupid flower. Now go take your trashy flowers back and exchange it for something good!"

"Marcia...I...I...I" Nutsy ran off crying, unable to finish her sentence.

Nutsy's mom glared at Marcia, "That was my daughter you made cry."

Marcia sunk back in her seat, "I...I...I...I..." The mouse began to cry a little, "When was the other time I made N-N-Nutsy cry?"

"You told her she looked fat in a dress." Nutsy's mom said bluntly.

"S-so will I go back...to...Earth now?" Marcia asked.

"Buildmore crippled your body so badly, there's no way you can be capable of life. So, no. Sorry, Marcia. But you're dead." Nutsy's mom explained.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Marcia screamed, punching the theater seats repeatedly.

"Now where you go in the afterlife depends on your behavior. Think of yourself on the naughty list for now, kiddo." Nutsy's mom grinned.

Meanwhile, Slick, Nutsy and Shifty were sneaking around Buildmore's mansion and entered a library room.

"For someone whose so rich, he doesn't have a lot of security." Shifty commented.

"Buildmore places top priority on things like flat screens, hot tubs and fancy cars. Security is a secondary thing to him. He's so cocky, he doesn't think he needs it." Slick explained.

"Which explains how we got this far." Nutsy said.

"Yeah, you got it. I'm sure he's got Marcia in his basement. Whenever he kidnaps someone, he always takes them to his basement." Slick explained.

"Oh, I didn't know they had basements in Australia." Nutsy said.

Shifty walked away from Nutsy and Slick upon noticing a single red book in a bookcase full of green books. He pulled the book out and a secret passageway opened up. Slick and Nutsy were still too busy chatting so Shifty descended down the flight of stairs. The dingo felt a cold chill run down his spine, his little heart pounding a mile a minute and tears of fear sting his eyes and fog up his vision. When he reached the bottom, he looked up to see a single lightbulb with blood running down it hanging from the ceiling. The room was ice cold, even in the hot Australian outback. Shifty whimpered, absolutely terrified as he looked into the dark tunnels ahead. Suddenly, he had a feeling that he was being watched. A dreadful feeling he wasn't alone.

A scaly claw rested on Shifty's shoulder and Shifty could feel a cold steel blade press against his neck. His terrified eyes scanned the blade, it was a hedge clippers stained with blood and the dingo let out a horrified shreik.

Immediately, Slick and Nutsy rushed down the stairs into the basement to find Buildmore with a bloodstained hedgeclippers pointed at Shifty's throat.

The crocodiles grinned and licked his lips, "Quite a beautiful young boy you brought with you on your little rescue mission. He has such a lovely neck, it's so nice and slender. I wonder what that neck of his would look like without a head attached, a nice bloody neck stump skinny enough for me to wrap my jaws around and drink blood from like a bottle."

Nutsy fell to her knees, "Please let Shifty go."

"So, his names Shifty, huh?" Buildmore laughed, "Quite a sexy name. I know I'm not a faggot like you Slick but this boy looks like he'd be really fun to rape. He has a really nice ass on him and he looks absolutely delicious."

Shifty whimpered as his tears ran onto the hedge clippers and Buildmore grinned, "Oh, how thoughtful of you to lubricate my clippers with your tears."

Suddenly, Slick whipped a gun from his pocket and pointed it at Buildmore, "You rape that little boy and I swear to God, I'll shoot you."

Buildmore grinned and knelt down, he began to stick his hand in between Shifty's legs and slowly caress his genitals with his claws. Shifty was whimpering softly with tears trickling down his face and Buildmore laughed, "Do you remember the good old days, Slick? The days when I found of you were a faggot and raped you really good? I remember you crying like a little pussy. Remember?"

*Flashback*

Slick was on his hands and knees sobbing, warm tears dripping onto the carpet of the theater and he looked up at Buildmore with tear-filled eyes, "You...you raped me. Why, Buildmore. Why?"

"You're a fudgepacker, Slick. You were asking for it. It felt pretty good if you ask me. I can't wait to tell your boyfriend Stan. Maybe I'll rape him too." Buildmore grinned.

*end flashback*

Buildmore chuckled a bit, "I clearly remember the look on your face as you cried and begged for mercy. I knew you were never gonna leave the theater because of memories of your sweet mommy. Taking advantage of you, beating you, robbing you, raping you, abusing you, I enjoyed every single second of it, watching you squirm and I don't regret a single thing."

Slick narrowed his eyes and cocked his gun, hot tears blurring his vision, "Here's a deal, Buildmore. You can rape me one last time if you let the child go."

Buildmore grinned and released Shifty, "Deal!" Buildmore snapped his fingers and 4 goannas came out of the shadows, "By the way, here's your pet rat." Buildmore said, tossing Marcia's lifeless body at then which Shifty caught in his arms.

"Slick, I" Nutsy began

"Don't worry about me, Nutsy. I'll be fine. You and Shifty take Marcia and get out of here. Things are gonna get ugly very soon." Slick said.

Nutsy nodded and she and Shifty dashed out of the cellar and Buildmore grinned at his goannas, "The 4 of you gang rape Slick. I'll take care of the kids." Buildmore grinned.

"But, I thought we had a deal." Slick yelled.

"Not anymore, you idiot. I'm gonna hunt those kids down and make them trophies on my wall. Then I'll use their life insurance money to buy some flat screens and construction equipment." Buildmore laughed sadistically.

Shifty and Nutsy raced their way through Buildmore's mansion and out the front door. Meanwhile, Buildmore got up to the roof and entered his helicopter, a sniper rifle in his hand as he took off.

The dingo and koala ran out into the yard and Shifty was running so fast he tripped. Buildmore pointed his rifle at Shifty's leg and fired. Shifty felt a bullet strike his leg and enter his ankle as he let out a yelp of pain, "I'm hit, Nutsy. I'm hit!"

Shifty got up and screamed, blood tricking from his ankle, "I...I don't think I can...walk, Nutsy. Save yourself."

"No, Shifty. I'm not going to leave you behind to be gunned down. You mean too much to me!" Nutsy scooped the dingo into her arms and with all her strength and she ran as fast as she could into the forest.

Buildmore's helicopter tried flying to the forest but there were power lines ahead. Being the lousy pilot he was, he crashed head-first into them and they fell down. A spark ignited a Eucalyptus tree and it flared up like a roman candle. Nutsy looked back, and she watched as flames and smoke slowly began engulfing the forest. Running as fast as she can despite Shifty's weight slowing her down, she sprinted through the forest and Shifty opened his tearful eyes and looked at her, "Nutsy...I smell smoke...are...are we gonna die?"

"No, Shifty." Nutsy coughed. "I'll make sure both of us make it out alive."

Shifty smiled, his eyes bloodshot from the combination of tears and smoke, "Thanks, Nutsy. I can always count on you."

Meanwhile, Slick was sitting in a chair with 4 goannas surrounding him and he glared at them, "So you do whatever your boss tells you to, huh?"

"It's how we make a living." Goanna 1 said, licking his lips.

Slick pointed his gun at the goanna, "You do realize he's only using you as tools to get money. By raping me, you're going to accomplish absolutely nothing. He's gonna throw you away like used napkins and cash in your life insurance policies when he's through with you."

"That's nonsense, we're his loyal servants!" Goanna 2 growled.

"Well, if that's so then why doesn't he pay you a single dime?" Slick asked.

"Shut up!" Goanna 3 yelled.

"Come on, you know I'm right. Buildmore is so greedy he sold his own daughter as a sex slave. If his own flesh and blood is disposable to him, you guys are practically fodder!" Slick explained.

Goanna 4 frowned, "Maybe...he has a point."

Slick narrowed his eyes, "So if you don't want me blowing all your brains out with my gun, I suggest you untie me now and let me go. I've armed myself and I'm not scared of going out in a blaze of glory. After all, I have nothing left to lose."

Goanna 1 sighed and Goannas 2 and 3 untied the ropes from Slick Possum, "Thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some errands to run."

Meanwhile, Buildmore was slowly crawling out of his wrecked helicopter with a scowl on his face, "Hmph. Those kids were a waste of my time. Oh well, at least the fires might roast them alive and I can eat their remains then cash in on their life insurance."


	6. Moment Of Silence

_If you're a sensitive reader, get some tissues ready. Also, Shifty has rather freaky nightmares in this chapter._

Eventually, Nutsy and Shifty made their way out of the forest and onto a road of some sort. Nothing but open Australian outback desert awaited them. Nutsy's arms ached so much she could no longer carry Shifty and had to set him down. Feeling safe now, Nutsy took the time to take her bandana off and apply it as a tourniquet to the dingo's shot left ankle.

"Nutsy...I'm so scared...Marcia's not breathing...what if she never wakes up?...what if she's..." Shifty choked out, unable to finish his sentence due to his sobs. The dingo cradled the lifeless burned mouse body in his arms still. Even though the two had their disagreements, Shifty would never wish something like this on Marcia.

Nutsy knelt down and began softly petting Shifty on the head and wiping the tears from his face, "I'm sure...Marcia will be all right, Shifty. She's very strong willed. She's a fighter." the koala tried her best to smile even though she was fighting back her own tears.

"And...and what about Slick? W-w-w-what if he's d-d-d-dead?" Shifty stammed as tears warmed by the outback heat rolled down his cheeks.

Nutsy leaned forward and kissed the hot tears rolling down Shifty's face, tasting the dingoes tears on her lips as she began massaging the his back, "Please don't cry, Shifty. I'm sure he's going to be fine too."

"I...I never felt so defeated before in my life. If Blinky were with us...maybe...just maybe..." Shifty whimpered. The little dingo was so ovvercome with greif, he actually raised his head and let out a long mournful howl.

The howl caused tears to stream down Nutsy's face. It always broke her heart to see Shifty cry like that, "You're right, Shifty. Blinky...he's much stronger than any of us...there's no way he'd give in to Buildmore." Nutsy sobbed as she cradled the wounded crying dingo.

After Shifty and Nutsy got finished crying, they got up and Shifty leaned on Nutsy for support due to his injured ankle. The little dingo still carried Marcia's cold lifeless body in his hand. Slowly, they walked their way down the road into the open outback. Once again, they were lost but this time without Blinky's leadership, Flap's digging skills, Splodge's muscle and Marcia's charisma, Shifty and Nutsy felt like they were at the mercy of the unforgiving desert. The only thing they clung on to was the hope that they would be found.

Having to support Shifty the whole time was tiring for Nutsy. In fact, it made the trip extra tiring with no food or water. Shifty had left his backpack back at Slick's place by accident and felt like an idiot about it. But Nutsy knew just how wrong it would be to leave Shifty to die alone unable to walk in the desert. Lots of things crossed their minds: Will they ever see their families again? Was Slick Possum still alive? What if Shifty Dingo becomes an amputee from his gunshot wound?

The dingo and koala trekked about half a mile and found a lone telephone booth. Shifty leaned against it and Nutsy walked in and took the phone off the hook and dialed 000 but came back with static. Shifty sighed, "It's no use, Nutsy. Buildmore's helicopter must've knocked out power for miles."

Nutsy sighed, "I guess you're right, Shifty." The dingo began crawling across the desert on his tummy. Clutching Marcia's cold, lifeless body in his hand, he began to cry as he used one paw to dig in the sand. Nutsy looked over to Shifty, "What are you doing?"

"She's dead, Nutsy. Marcia is dead" Shifty sobbed, tears falling off his muzzle onto the dusty ground making small muddy dots, "So...I'm digging her a grave. She's so cold...she won't wake up...she won't even open her eyes and insult me...she just...lays there..."

Nutsy knelt down beside Shifty and felt Marcia's burned body for a heartbeat. Nothing. Not even a single breath. Tears began to roll down Nutsy's face as she closed her eyes, "You're right, Shifty. She is...dead." It hurt Nutsy to say that but it was the truth, Marcia was gone. Nutsy took Marcia's ribbon out of her hair and held it in her paw, "I'll help you dig." the koala sobbed.

"The...the last thing Marcia...ever said t-t-to me...was...was that she h-h-hated my guts. Oh Nutsy, I I I...never...got...to say...g-g-goodbye." Shifty bawled, a river of salty tears running down the sides of his muzzle into his nostrils mixing with his snot. Nutsy wrapped her arms around the crying dingo as his salty tears dripped upon Marcia's lifeless body, "I wish...s-she would wake up...s-so...she could call me a big dummy...and let me know..." the dingo paused to sniffle and wipe his nose on the back of his hand, "She's...alive. I wouldn't...even...m-m-m-m-mind her...b-biting me..." Shifty choked through his sobs, resting Marcia's limp body into the shallow grave and slowly covering it up with dust and sand.

Nutsy found herself once again cradling her sensitive dingo boyfriend but this time, the two of them began covering Marcia grave with sand and they looked into each others tear-filled eyes. Nutsy then looked down at Marcia's grave, "Marcia...I remember the times when we were in a scary cave full of ghosts...Marcia would always act so tough...perform karate moves to scare them off...I can't believe she's gone..."

"I I I...remember the time s-she p-p-put hot sauce i-in my sandwich and I had to drink a lot of water..." Shifty sniffled, taking Marcia's ribbon from Nutsy and putting it in the pocket of his denim vest.

"I remember the time she grossed out when I licked your tears, Shifty." Nutsy chuckled.

"Y-yeah...she thought you were s-some kind of weirdo or something." Shifty laughed. And with that, Nutsy leaned in to Shifty's face and gazed into his eyes for about a minute. The koala then began lapping at the wet tear trails down Shifty's muzzle with her tongue and he started giggling, "Stop, Nutsy, stop. Please, that tickles. B-b-besides now's not the b-b-b-best time."

"Oh, you're right, Shifty." Nutsy giggled, scratching the dingo behind his left ear, "Marcia probably watching over us thinking we're a couple of teary-eyed saps."

"I think so." Shifty chuckled softly, wiping at his tear-filled eyes.

Suddenly, a yellow volkswagon bug came cruising down the road and stopped. A wallaby in a nurse uniform came out of it and hopped up to the dingo and koala.

"NURSE ANGELINA?" Shifty and Nutsy gasped in unison.

"What are you kids doing out here by yourselves? I'll take you back to Greenpatch." Nurse Angelina said.

"It's a long story, Nurse Angelina." Nutsy explained.

"We were being shot at from a helicopter and I got a bullet in my leg and I'm having trouble walking." Shifty said.

"I turned my bandana into a tourniquet for Shifty's leg to stop the bleeding." Nutsy explained.

"That's very nice of you, dear. But now Shifty needs proper medical care. Lucky for you, I'm also a surgeon. I'm gonna have to operate to remove the bullet." Nurse Angelina said.

Shifty's eyes widened in fear, "Op-op-operate? As in c-c-cut me open? B...but you know I'm scared of blood!"

"It's okay, Shifty. She'll put you to sleep so you don't feel a thing." Nutsy said, patting the dingo on the back.

"Phew. For a second there, I thought I'd be feeling the knife going in me." Shifty said, feeling relieved.

The three of them got into the volkswagon and Nutsy helped Shifty into the back since he had trouble getting around on his shot leg. And with that, the vehicle drove off for Greenpatch.

While they were in the vehicle, Nutsy hung her head and began crying. Nurse Angelina noticed Nutsy's tears and frowned, "What's the matter, dear?"

"It's Marcia...she was with us...but...she didn't make it." Nutsy said.

Nurse Angelina gasped, "I'm so sorry...what...happened to her?"

Nutsy hung her head in silence, the silence was broken in a few seconds by Shifty bursting into hysterical crying in the backseat, "B-B-B-BUILDMORE MURDERED HER! She...she...she...I didn't even get to say goodbye to her! And now...SHE'S DEAD! I...I...I...want to wake up! This...has gotta be...some...kind...of h-h-h-horrible n-n-n-n-nightmare!" the dingo blubbered.

"Calm down, Shifty. Nutsy, could you please tell me the whole story?" Nurse Angelina asked.

Nutsy closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "Well, it all started when I won two tickets at a radio contest to a cinema." Nutsy then went on to explain everything. Slick's tragic past, staying at Slick's apartment, the theater being torn down and the memorial afterwards, Marcia's crush on Slick, the kidnapping, sneaking into Buildmore's mansion, Shifty almost being raped, Buildmore chasing them in his helicopter, Marcia dying and Shifty burying her. By the time she was finished talking, Nurse Angelina had tears trickling down her face and she was crying softly.

"I'm so sorry...I...Marcia was a fighter. It's a shame she had to die like that. Not once did she cry when she was given a shot, I remember calling her a little soldier girl." The wallaby nurse sighed, wiping her eyes.

They arrived at the hospital and Shifty reached into the pocket of his vest and pulled out Marcia's ribbon, "Here, Nutsy. Give this to Blinky. Tell him that...Marcia died a fighter." Shifty sniffled as he was wheeled into the hospital.

Nutsy took Marcia's ribbon in her hands and Blinky ran up to her, "Hey Nutsy, what happened to Shifty and Marcia?"

Nutsy bit her lip and sniffled, "Shifty got shot in the leg, he's recovering at the hospital. He'll be fine. Marcia is..." Nutsy could feel tears rolling down her cheeks, "Dead...she's dead, Blinky."

Blinky's eyes widened and filled with tears, "What?"

Nutsy handed Blinky Marcia's ribbon and she sighed, "This is all that's left of her. She went out in a blaze of glory. Shifty and I had to bury her and we had a little funeral for her."

"Gee, was he upset?" Blinky asked.

"He was crying pretty hard. Said he wanted Marcia to wake up and call him a big dummy and bite him even." Nutsy sighed, wiping the tears off her face.

"Did you meet Slick?" Blinky asked.

"Yeah, we saw Slick. He was really upset about this crocodile named Gavin Buildmore tearing down the theater. Some of the things Buildmore did to Slick was just plain awful." Nutsy said.

"Could you tell me everything?" Blinky asked.

"Well..." Nutsy began.

Meanwhile, Shifty was on the operating table and he could feel his eyelids growing heavy as the painkillers took effect. The dingo felt warm tears roll from his eyes as he thought about Marcia and all the mean names she called him and all the times she made him cry. Oddly, Shifty was starting to miss her already. Even though she treated him like garbage, he couldn't help but feel sad about her death. He gently shut his eyes and drifted off the sleep.

Shifty opened his eyes and looked around him, he was in the school but there was something strange, Miss Magpie's class was completely empty. Dead silence filled the air and the dingo was terrified out of his wits. Walking over to the broom closet, he opened the door and Miss Magpie's lifeless body fell out and she had a garden shears in her chest. Terrified, Shifty ran out of the classroom and went outside. What he saw outside was an utterly horrific sight. The residents of Greenpatch were all lying down in pools of blood and then Shifty looked over and saw Nutsy's dead body. Tears streaming down his face, he picked up Nutsy's lifeless body in his arms and hugged her tightly and he wept his eyes out. Suddenly, Nutsy's eyes opened to reveal pools of pitch darkness and a ghostly black hand came out of her mouth and began choking Shifty. Tears spilled out of Shifty's eyes as he gasped for air. Nutsy's now evil carcass pulled out a knife and began stabbing Shifty in the leg, a twisted smile on her face.

Shifty began to whimper and squirm a little and Nurse Angelina noticed it, "Restrain him so I can operate, please."

Danny and Meatball held down Shifty so Nurse Angelina could remove the bullet in his leg. Suddenly, Slick Possum walked into the room and Danny looked over to Slick, "And who might you be?"

"Name's Slick Possum, daddy-o." Slick said, trying to put on his cool act again, "I'm one of Shifty's friends. He really helped me out."

"Well, I'm Danny Dingo and I'm his big brother and the fat one over there's Meatball, he's also Shifty's big brother." the black dingo said, shaking the possum's hand.

"I worked in the movie theater before it got torn down. I'm friends with the Blinky Bill gang." Slick explained.

"So I see. How did Shifty get a bullet in his leg?" Danny asked.

"I can answer that." Nutsy said, coming into the room, "Gavin Buildmore shot him."

Danny looked confused and raised his sunglasses, "Buildmore? Whose Gavin Buildmore?"

"He's my evil boss. Killed my mom when I was 6, abused me all the time, destroyed the theater. Should've known Shifty would get injured..." Slick explained, shaking his head and feeling guilty he wasn't there to help the dingo.

Suddenly, Blinky Bill entered the room as well and gasped, "Slick, how's it going?"

"Blinky, my man. How's it been?" Slick said, greeting Blinky with a high five.

"I see you've met Danny Dingo just now. I'm sorry about what happened to the theater, Nutsy told me the whole thing but there's one thing I wanna know, why did you lie to us about owning the theater and the dust storms?" Blinky asked.

"Well, it's a long story. For starters-" Slick began.

Nurse Angelina cleared her throat, "Excuse me. Blinky, Nutsy, Slick and Danny. Can you all please go in the other room. I need absolutele silence if I'm to work on Shifty's leg. Meatball, you stay here to hold Shifty down in case he squirms, I can't use any more painkillers on him."

Meatball nodded and continued to hold Shifty down.

Meanwhile, Shifty was sitting quietly in a pure white room at a single desk. There was a single red apple on the table and Shifty stared at it for a while. Eventually, he reached over and grabbed it, he could feel a hand rest on his shoulder and and icy chill run down his spine. Slowly turning hs head, Shifty came face to face with another dingo who looked exactly like him. The dingo opened his eyes to reveal his eyeballs were entirely pitch black, "Take a bite of the apple. Don't even think about sharing it with your friends. You want to impress your brother, right? Go on, take a bite and watch your friends starve to death!"

Shifty nearly wet himself at the demonic tone of the voice and he whimpeed, "Who...who are you?"

"My name is Ognid Ytfihs. I am your dark subconcious. Everything bad you've ever done is all thanks to me. I'm the devil that will poison your soul and drive your friends away. Now take a bite." the demon-dingo growled.

"No!" Shifty screamed. Suddenly, Ognid Ytfihs transformed into a massive dragon-shaped shadow and pinned Shifty down, demonic eyes piercing his very soul, "I'll force it down your throat, you little weakling!"

Shifty let out another whimper and squirmed a little on the operating table but Meatball had him pinned down tightly. The bullet was successfully removed from the dingoes ankle and placed on a tray and Nurse Angelina smiled, "The operation was a success, now all we have to do is wait till the drugs wear off."

Meanwhile, Blinky, Nutsy, Slick and Danny were all sitting in the waiting room, "So you're telling me that this Buildmore guy robbed you?" Danny asked Slick.

Slick nodded, "Uh huh. Took me for every last penny."

Danny chuckled a bit, "Buildmore sounds pretty mindless to me. The proper way to get someone's money is to scam them, not mug them."

"Well, aren't you the pleasant one?" Slick replied sarcastically.

Nutsy sighed, "I'm a little worried about Shifty. Do you think he'll walk again, Blinky?"

"Of course he will." Blinky replied, "It's not like Buildmore cut his legs off."

Danny put his hand on Slick's shoulder, "You know, Slick. I can teach you a few ways to con Buildmore out of his cash."

Slick shook his head, "Sorry, Danny. I don't wanna risk going to jail. I've just lost everything and I don't want my life getting any worse."

"Suit yourself, Slick Possum." Danny Dingo chuckled, "Just don't come crying to me when you want to get your money back from Buildmore."

Slick rolled his eyes a bit and suddenly, Ma Dingo barged into the waiting room, "Where's my Shifty? Who did it to him? I'll kill them!"

Ma Dingo glared at Slick and grabbed him by his collar, "All right, you funny-looking weirdo, could you tell me what you did to MY SHIFTY?" the large dingo woman screamed at the little possum.

"Take a chill pill Ma'am, I didn't hurt him. He's fine. The guy you want is Gavin Buildmore. He's the crocodile who shot him in the leg."

"Crocodiles." Ma Dingo grunted, "Stupid reptiles, I should have known."

"How did you find your way here, anyway Slick?" Blinky asked the possum.

"Well, Shifty left his backpack back at my place and it had his address written on it so I came by to return it. I met this young dingo lady in jeans and a teal top named Daisy. She told me Shifty was in the hospital. Buildmore shooting a kid from a helicopter. What a coward." Slick explained.

"But I thought Buildmore's goons captured you." Nutsy said.

"I'm too smart for them. I reasoned my way out of it. After all, I'm a pretty good actor, you know." Slick chuckled, trying to smile despite everything he's been through.

"Why didn't you use your reasoning power on Buildmore, then?" Nutsy asked.

Slick sighed, "Buildmore's a bloodthirsty psychopath. There's no use in getting through to someone like him."

"Sounds like a mindless brute if you ask me." Danny said, his tail swishing a little.

Suddenly, the operating room doors opened and Shifty Dingo limped out on a crutch and a leg cast with a goofy smile on his face.

"Hi there everyone, did you know that I'm the king of toast? French toast, Texas toast, cinnamon raisin, whole wheat, organic with poppy seeds..." Shifty babbled on and on.

Nurse Angelina tried not to laugh, "He may act a little weird cause of the after effects of the drugs. He'll need plenty of rest but he should be fine."

"That's good to know." Nutsy said.

Ma Dingo walked up to Shifty and picked him up and started carrying him, "Let's go home and put you to bed, Shifty."

"I'm a fluffy little sea turtle named Al. Is your name Betty? You can be my bodyguard!" Shifty blurted out.

Blinky could help but chuckle a little at Shifty's weird behavior but was silenced by Danny, Slick and Nutsy glaring at him. The four of them filed out the door and went out of the hospital. Tomorrow, they were going to have a true funeral for Marcia.


	7. Never Forget

_Even if you hate Marcia like I do, you gotta admit this chapter is a sad one._

The people of Greenpatch stood in the outback desert by the telephone booth near where Marcia was buried. Some like Danny Dingo were dry-eyed, having no emotional attachment to the mouse while others like Blinky's gang were crying their eyes out. A tombstone was erected where the mouse's body lay.

"Citizens of Greenpatch, we are here today to remember and honor the life of Marcia Marsupial Mouse. She was born a fighter and she died a fighter. Her willpower to never give up stood out in Greenpatch. She was a bright burning candle of passion and excitement. But sadly, that candle burned out." Mayor Pelican said.

Miss Magpie turned to the children, "Now class, I would like you to pay your respects to Marcia."

Splodge was first up and hopped over to Marcia's tombstone, "Marcia was the strongest of all of us. She wasn't a leader like Blinky but she was hardly afraid of anything. She took on almost anything the world threw at her with a go get em attitude." Splodge took his hat off in respect as a small tear ran down his cheek. The kangaroo hopped away.

Flap then approached the grave, tears rolling down his beak. The platypus collapsed to his knees and started bawling his heart out. He was crying so hard he couldn't even form a single word. He just walked away from the grave sobbing.

Nutsy was the 3rd one to approach the grave and she calmly rested her hand on it, "I was there when Marcia was killed. She was a very strong girl. She would go and tackle just about anything. Sometimes she'd act tough, but I always knew she had a soft side deep down. That soft side is what I miss most about her." A single tear trickled down Nutsy's cheek and Blinky watched. Blinky Bill felt himself choke up despite the fact he promised himself not to cry at the funeral.

Shifty Dingo was the 4th one to approach Marcia's grave and he was struggling against the tears. He wrapped his arms around the tombstone, hugging it as his tears began falling on it, "I miss...the way Marcia...used to call me a big dummy. I remember...the time when she bit me on the leg...or the time she punched me in the...face for giving her...CPR. I just...wish..." the dingo's voice started cracking as tears ran through his face fur, "She...would wake up...but...she's n-n-not moving...a-anymore. I...I just want her t-to know that i-i-i-if she can hear me...I...f-forgive her and I miss h-her...so...very m-m-much." A river of hot tears now streamed down Shifty's snout as he let out a mournful howl. Watching Shifty break down at Marcia's grave finally sent Blinky over the edge. Tears were now running down his face and he couldn't control his sobbing.

Trying to regain his composure over Shifty's heartbreaking reaction. Blinky now sat by Marcia's grave, "Marcia...the Blinky Bill gang isn't complete without you. We're all one big happy family...a part of us is lost without you...Marcia. But we're here and we're by your side...every step of the way. Through day and night, through laughter and tears." Suddenly, Blinky kicked Marcia grave and screamed, "MARCIA, YOU BIG STUPID IDIOT! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO WALK OUT ON YOUR FRIENDS LIKE THAT, HUH? DON'T YOU KNOW THAT WE LOVE YOU!" The koala fell to his knees, sobbing, "Marcia, I know you're gone but you're probably very scared right now. There's no need to worry, Marcia. Blinky, Nutsy, Flap, Splodge and Shifty are all here for you, we're the five bright stars burning in your night sky, always at your side in life or death. You're not alone, Marcia. You're never alone. We're all your mates. Mates till the end."

Shifty and Nutsy were crying hysterically in each others arms as well as Flap and Splodge too. Slick Possum couldn't stop crying as well, tears ran slowly down his snout and he was wiping his eyes with the blue rag in his pocket. Blinky stepped away from Marcia's grave and Marcia's family walked up to her grave and said a few kind words about her.

After the funeral, Blinky's gang felt emotionally drained as they sat at the cafe with their milkshakes. Shifty looked over to Marcia's empty seat with warm tears in his eyes and his long floppy ears wilted, "I still wish...I said goodbye to her." A single salty tear fell down Shifty's face and landed in his milkshake.

Nutsy put her arm around Shifty and wiped the tear trail off his face with her thumb, "Oh don't cry anymore, Shifty. It isn't your fault she died."

Flap breathed a heavy sigh as he blinked back the tears, "I can't believe she's finally gone."

Shifty blinked tears out of his eyes and shook his head, "It's not fair Buildmore got off scot free."

"That annoys me more than anything." Splodge snarled.

"Things just won't be the same without Marcia. But she wouldn't want us to cry all the time about her. If she were here, she's be calling us a bunch of wimps." Blinky said.

Suddenly, Slick Possum walked over to the table, "Hi, mind if I have a seat?"

"That's Marcia's seat you'll be sitting in." Splodge warned.

"Sorry about being insensitive." Slick sat down at Marcia's usual seat anyway and Blinky got up, "I'll go get you a milkshake, Slick. It's on me."

Slick looked over to Nutsy and Shifty, "Hey, what are you two feeling so down for? You've got lives to live to the fullest. You may have lost one friend but look around yourselves. You've got Blinky, Splodge and Flap. They're all there for you two. Me? I just don't feel safe in Australia anymore. I lost everything because of Buildmore. All I have now is the clothes on my back and some money."

"Easy for you to say, Marcia's death was a huge blow to our circle of friends. It'll take a lot of time to recover from it." Flap said.

"Yeah, things just won't be the same anymore." Shifty added.

"What about you, Slick? Where are you going to go now that your theater is gone?" Nutsy asked the possum.

Slick sighed, "The Big Apple. New York City. Times Square, Central Park. The best part is, I won't be a fish out of water there. I'll always have company with the ice and snow in the winter. The snow, the freezing cold, bitter snow. I can't wait to feel it in my fur." Tears filled the possum's eyes and he wiped them with the back of his paw.

Blinky returned to the table and gave Slick Possum a milkshake, "Here you go, Slick."

The possum took a sip of his milkshake and tried to smile in spite of the tears in his eyes, "Blinky, I just want to say that you and your gang are the coolest kids I've ever met. All of you are special in your own ways. Blinky, you're a natural born leader. Flap, you know how to lighten up a room with your sense of humor. Splodge, you're very strong and loyal. Nutsy, you're very caring and are always there for people. Shifty, you're a very bright, sensitive and unique kid. Marcia, you may not be here right now, but your spirit and energy burns bright as the sun. All of you, thank you for your help." Tears were now streaming down Slick's muzzle and falling off his whiskers.

"What's wrong, Slick? Why are you crying?" Nutsy asked. Blinky was rather shocked, seeing the cool-natured possum in tears.

Slick shook his head, "I was never that great with goodbyes. They always choke me up."

And so, Blinky's gang crowded around Slick Possum and pulled him into a group hug.

Shifty Dingo sniffled a bit, "I think I'm gonna cry again."

"Me too." Flap whined.

"I think I'm going to cry as well." Nutsy sniffled.

It was a long and tearful goodbye but eventually, they parted at the newly built Greenpatch airport. Slick waved at Blinky, Nutsy, Shifty, Splodge and Flap from the window of the plane and they waved back.

The possum slumped down in his seat as the plane took off, he couldn't wait to arrive in New York City and get away from Australia. His spirit was completely broken, all hope had left his body, all he could do was lose himself in the crowded subways, throw his broken life away and wait for the sweet kiss of death to take him away. There was no looking back for Slick Possum, his life was tragic from the day he was born till the day he eventually dies. He was just going to wait until winter came upon New York City and set his plan into motion.

The end. Credits roll:

_I, I wish you could swim  
Like the dolphins, like dolphins can swim  
Though nothing, nothing will keep us together  
We can beat them, for ever and ever  
Oh we can be heroes, just for one day_

I, I will be king  
And you, you will be queen  
Though nothing will drive them away  
We can be heroes, just for one day  
We can be us, just for one day

I, I can remember (I remember)  
Standing, by the wall (by the wall)  
And the guns, shot above our heads (over our heads)  
And we kissed, as though nothing could fall (nothing could fall)  
And the shame, was on the other side  
Oh we can beat them, for ever and ever  
Then we could be heroes, just for one day

We can be heroes  
We can be heroes  
We can be heroes  
Just for one day  
We can be heroes  
-David Bowie, Heroes


	8. Epilogue

_Such a tragic end to such a cool, lovable character._

The snowflakes fell from the sky in central park and Slick watched them land lightly on his nose. The possum had starved himself from greif, his ribcage showing. He was hungry like you would never imagine but it was all part of his plan to slowly fade away.

He thought about his friends back in Greenpatch and the adventures he had with Blinky, Nutsy, Splodge, Flap, Marcia and Shifty. He remembered putting hot sauce on Blinky's burger and showing them around the cinema. He remembered the time he, Blinky and Marcia sat in the human classroom playing computer games. He remembered the fantastic show Blinky put on for his friends at the cinema. He remembered the warm hugs Shifty, Nutsy and Marcia gave him when he was crying. A single tear trickled down his cheek and froze in his face fur as he remembered all the good times. If only his life was that kind to him all the time.

"Wherever you are, Mama. I'll be seeing you soon." Slick said to himself, laying against a tree in Central Park. The possum closed his eyes and his heartbeat slowed down as he slowly succumbed to starvation and hypothermia. Oddly, he felt completely content with the idea of dying alone and welcomed the icy embrace of death unto him. A smile spread across Slick possum's muzzle and his heart stopped beating. He was dead, finally free from his painful life of abuse. He was going to find himself in his mother's arm again.

The end.


End file.
